Art Prize!



This past weekend was Tin Man's birthday,

and we spent the weekend with our cottage friends

at their 'real' home in Grand Rapids.

They got a new puppy,

who we all just fell in love with:

Even Tin Man (who is not so much of a dog lover-) had to hold this cutie!

The boys (all the boys-) had so much fun swimming in the hotel pool:

(I got in the hot tub, but that was pretty much it, for me...) 

 Instead I finished up a GREAT book:

Dreams of Joy

 by Lisa See

It was the sequel of Shanghai Girls, the story of two sisters who come to America from China in the early 1940s, which was also an amazing book-

Dreams of Joy is about the daughter of one of the girls from Shanghai Girls, and how she goes back to China in the 1950's during Chairman Mao revolution...and how her mother leaves to find her daughter. It was very engrossing. Sad, at certain points, but such an amazing story set in historical times.

Then we went to Art Prize,

which is one of the neatest art exhibits we have ever been to.

Art is literally all around the city-

inside buildings,

outside of buildings,

hanging from bridges,

anywhere, everywhere...

and it is awesome.

I will show you a few (and a few more!) of our favorites:

The Siver Gorillas made from  forks:

The United States made from iron skillets shaped into each state:

(Gigantic) girl swimming...

Nature Boy's favorite, the Andrea Doria recreated:

Wooden Bears in the fountain at the Gerald Ford Library

Flowers made from recycled soda cans.

(See my boys trying to 'sniff' them?!)

Dancing Boy loved viewing all the recycled art-as he is a 'dumpster diver' himself,

and is quite creative...He said this art exhibit made him think HE could one day do something like these things. And he could! 

I love how looking at art can give others the possibility of future dreams...

Tin Man's favorite...a realistic painting of Lake Michigan shores.

Happy Boy's favorite: Monkeys hanging from the bridge:

My favorite turned out to be

a picture of an Old Man...

...and as you get closer to look at his wrinkles,

each wrinkle is a worry he had over time...

A river runs through the city of Grand Rapids, and my oldest son loved watching the fishermen catching the salmon that was running:

(What I said; "Eww! I am not so sure I want to eat salmon after seeing this thing!")

(...who hopes you can take the time to appreciate the art in your life-)